The upcoming Rommelrock festival, which was to take place Friday and Saturday in Maasmechelen, Belgium, was cancelled. According to the promoters, the mayor of the town enforced a decision made back in May, in which he refused to issue a permit on the grounds that that the festival would cause unsafe conditions.

The announcement reads: "To our greatest regret, Rommelrock is forced to cancel the whole event. Seven years of intense labour, the spotless reputation, legal terms and liberties, in vain... Two court sessions made little difference... [The] mayor steps in to enforce the prohibition to organize Rommelrock, refuses to issue a license to permit Rommelrock 2013... such an improbable tale, as the decision of the Maasmechelen mayor made on May 13, 2013, is maintained, on so-called grounds of safety and public order... A boiling cauldron that spawned the anti-rommelrock story!

"Despite all the efforts taken and the fact we have the law and justice at our side according to the law and the constitution itself, the struggle ended in the worst possible way, forcing us to pull the plug out of this year's Rommelrock.

"We wish to express our deepest respect to all that supported us, and we apologize in the same time to all that suffered because of all this, despite all perseverance and tenacity.We never wanted to see Rommelrock 2013, a special edition with exclusive shows and such, to end in this way."